


Chain of Command

by soaker87



Category: Spider Riders - All Media Types, スパイダーライダーズ ~オラクルの勇者たち | Spider Riders ~Oracle no Yuusha-tachi~
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cheesy, F/M, Fairy Tale Elements, Interspecies Romance, Kidnapping, Love Triangles, Manipulation, Older Man/Younger Woman, Romance, Underage Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-04-10
Updated: 2007-04-10
Packaged: 2018-05-27 19:36:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6297433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soaker87/pseuds/soaker87
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An Insector commander plots to take Buguese's place on the Big Four, but Beerain decides to manipulate him in her own attempts to get rid of Aqune. Warning: Utter Cheesiness</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beerain's Opportunity

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-post from ff.net. Old fic. Probably takes place somewhere around episode 16 or 17, but it's pretty much an AU.

Aqune stood at the edge of the cliff by Mantid's fortress. She was silent and unmoving. Little thought entered her mind. Calmly, she let the cold air hit her as she stared into the darkness all around her.

Unbeknownst to her, she was being watched. Of course, the one responsible for this was Buguese, because he was always doing so.

"What are you thinking about, Aqune?" wondered Buguese, not knowing how clear of mind his dearest currently was. What was on Buguese's mind was obvious though, at least to the ones who happened to be watching him. One of these individuals was Beerain, who was of course disgusted by Buguese's current concerns.

"How boring," Beerain thought to herself. "Buguese is still enthralled in his little human power-source. I hope we can discard of her soon." Unenthusiastically, she flew away though.

The other who was watching Buguese was a lesser-known Insector. Although he lacked the prestigious rankings of the others there, that did not mean he was of low status. He was a top commander by the name of Cicadon. He was far from satisfied with just being a commander though. He desired to be on the Big Four and was less than fond of those already on Mantid's most elite team, especially Buguese.

"Commander!" called the voice of a soldier from behind him. "I heard word that we'd been going on a new mission soon. Is that really so?"

"Yea, that's correct," said Cicadon.

"Right then," said the soldier nervously. "Because I had been wondering then which of the Big Four would be overseeing us."

"What does that matter?!" Cicadon snapped. "The Big Four are just temporary. Once Mantid-sama is victorious, they will be disbanded and the power will fall into the hands of others… such as myself."

"You don't like them much, do you?" The soldier asked.

"Hardly," said Cicadon. "There was a time once where I had the chance to be on that team. However, in the end I was denied it. Therefore, it annoys me to see the current members act so high and mighty all the time. All that they are are Mantid-sama's biggest pawns. Buguese disappoints me most of all. I don't understand why they get all the privileges. He even has exclusive rights to the human girl that lives here."

"So… wait a minute," began the soldier. "Are you implying that you're interested in that human?"

"Perhaps I am," Ciacadon replied "If only because Buguese has her now."

"Finally, something interesting," said Beerain, who had overheard them after she left Buguese. She decided to stay for longer and see just where the conversation between these two was headed.

"Well you know," began the soldier, "I can't say I like humans much, but if that's your fancy, you could pursue her… Aqune I think her name is. Then you could take her for your own. Buguese could always share."

"As much as I dislike Buguese, I wouldn't attempt to do such a thing without coming up with an efficient plan." Cicadon replied.

"Yeah," replied the soldier. "He'd have no remorse in going slice-and-dice on you with his sword. You do seem pretty strong, but I dunno. This kinda brings me to why we started this conversation in the first place. I was afraid that we'd have to deal with Buguese and his sometimes out-of-hand temper. The last time I had to, that wasn't fun."

"I know," said Cicadon. "I'd really like to be rid of him. Maybe then, if I was known as the one who defeated him, I could be a part of the Big Four."

"I think I might just have an idea," said the soldier. "I think you could actually kill two birds with one stone if you managed it. First, you could kidnap Aqune. Then, Buguese would want to reclaim her. However, what you would really be doing was luring him into a trap. Then when you defeated him, not only would you take his spot on the Big Four, but you'd also have his human."

"That would be difficult," said Beerain, landing down in front of them. "Yet at the same time, very intriguing."

"I-it's Beerain," the soldier stuttered.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," stated Beerain. "For now anyway. I'm not going to stop you. You see, I think you could be useful to me, Commander Cicadon. I want to get that human out of the way. If you were to acquire her, that might be beneficial to me. I've noticed that you are very strong. However, strength alone won't help you in this endeavor. Aqune is a Spider Rider and therefore, she possesses great power as well. Aside from that though, she seems to have other abilities. Buguese believes that with this power, she will be able to save us. She would be a very difficult catch. I'm not certain how Buguese did it in the first place."

"Well, then what do you propose I do?" questioned Cicadon.

"That's simple," Beerain replied. She tossed a small vial to Cicadon.

"How is this going to help me?" asked the puzzled cicada.

"It's contents are the key," Beerain stated. "It contains a special potion and once released, it will have the ability to paralyze her and temporarily subdue her powers. Enjoy."

"Um… sure," said Cicadon.

Beerain then left them. She laughed to herself in amusement.

"Of course, there's just one little flaw in their plan. Buguese isn't in the Big Four for no reason. He won't lose to you. But when my creation kills Aqune, I won't get the blame. Just Buguese's full attention."


	2. The Uncertain Future

Buguese walked toward the cliff and stationed himself behind Aqune. He expected that she was aware of his presence, but decided to wait for her to react. In a few seconds, Aqune did turn herself around.

"Yes, Buguese?" she questioned, waiting for an order.

"You've been standing here for quite a while," Buguese commented. "What's so appealing about this cliff?"

"Um…" said Aqune, surprised by his question. "I guess it's just peaceful here… and as far away from the fortress as I can go for now."

"I see," said Buguese. "Well if you like this place, then we shall use it. There's something I've been meaning to talk with you about lately."

"Yes," said Aqune.

"I…" began Buguese. "My Aqune, I'm not even certain how to begin. What I wanted to discuss was… your future and the future of the Insector race."

"By that do you mean…" Aqune started.

"All I mean is, where do your loyalties lie?"

"With your race," said Aqune. "For the time being, anyway. But my personal duty is to listen to the Oracle. She tells me that the Spider Riders are not my enemies, even if they're yours. Therefore, I do not wish to hurt them or fight against them."

"So long as you are in our service, the Spider Riders are your enemy," Buguese replied.

"I know that," said Aqune. "But I don't really understand why it has to be that way. What makes the Spider Riders' motives wrong? Whenever I'm with them, I've felt nothing but good intentions from them."

"They may not be evil by nature, but they are our enemies simply because their cause differs from ours. For us Insectors to achieve victory, it is a necessity that we possess all four Oracle Keys… and you. But if you do not remain loyal to us, then we will have no way to activate the power of the Oracle Keys. You're vital to us."

"That I also understand," said Aqune. She paused for a minute, diverting her gaze toward the ground, rather than at the person in front of her. However, she could only do so for so long. "Buguese," she said. "What would happen if somehow you were able to achieve victory without my powers?"

"If you were never of use to us from the start, then you would also be my enemy. You're merely a human and a Spider Rider at that. However, if you mean that at this point your usefulness ran out, I'm really not sure. Perhaps it would be of value to possess a Spider Rider anyway. Then again, there are other reasons in which I might want you."

Buguese looked at Aqune in admiration. In respects, he didn't want Aqune to know the meaning behind his words, but it couldn't hurt.

"What kind of reasons?" asked Aqune curiously.

"That's not important," said Buguese. "But my answer is that you would still be mine. Nothing is going to change. From the start, that was what this talk was about. I was just hoping to hear that you would continue to be loyal to us willingly, so that I would not have to concern myself in keeping you on our side forcefully. However, I'm left with no choice."

"Right," said Aqune, her expression turning increasingly solemn. She didn't know where it came from, but she couldn't stop herself as she shed a small tear.

What surprised her even further was that Buguese moved his hand toward her face. He used his finger to wipe the tear from her, and then quickly moved his hand back to his side.

"Aqune," he stated. "We must go now. We have a lot of work to do."

"Yes, Buguese," said Aqune, who followed him back inside the fortress.

Soon after, Beerain reported back to Cicadon and his soldier ally.

"Hey, it's her again!" said the soldier.

"I've been keeping an eye on Buguese and Aqune," said Beerain. "However, I've certainly seen enough for one day. Anyway, I'm certain that you'll soon get the opportunity to begin your operation. Both Buguese and Aqune like their time alone, so it will be easier to get Aqune without interference."

"But of course we'll need Buguese to know that we have Aqune," Cicadon commented.

"Don't worry," said Beerain. "When the time comes, I'll take care of that. I can keep Buguese calm for long enough."

"Good to hear," said Cicadon. "I shall begin shortly. Will you help me, my new friend?"

"Eh… I dunno," said the soldier. "If you wanna risk your neck for a human and a promotion then I admire that, but I'm not sure if I'm crazy enough to join you, myself."

"What if I were to sweeten the deal?" suggested Cicadon. "I could offer you a promotion as a reward. You could then be a commander."

"Hmm… that's a tempting deal," said the soldier. "I think I'll take you up on it."

"That's good to hear," said Cicadon. "You have a cunning mind, so you'd be of great help." He then walked away, as his new assistant followed. Soon after, he spotted Aqune, alone in the Oracle shrine room. He grinned with satisfaction. His opportunity had arrived even sooner than he expected and so he would not pass it up.


	3. The Kidnapping

Any brief clarity that Aqune had in her mind earlier was lost now. Her talk with Buguese had reminded her of all she was troubled by as of late. Perhaps what was troubling her most of all now was that it was Buguese who had tried to comfort her earlier. Aqune only saw this as a problem because he was the cause of most of her problems and still, she was happy about the fact that he cared for her. It bothered her that she could feel so strongly toward him in both positive and negative ways.

Upon hearing someone coming up behind her, Aqune jumped in surprise, being forced into a temporary break from wondering about Buguese. Then again, she knew it was a possibility that he could've been the person who showed up.

"Buguese?" she questioned.

"Not quite," said a voice. "I am Cicadon, an Insector commander and future Big Four Member. Have you heard of me?"

"No," said Aqune. "I have minimal contact with anyone other than Buguese or Mantid-sama."

"That's a shame," said Cicadon. "But typical. However, I know you well. More rather, I'm quite fond of you. However, I understand that you belong to the almighty Buguese."

Aqune blushed nervously. "I-it's not like that," she replied. "I am simply in the service of Buguese."

"So then, you're a victim of his tyranny too?" questioned Cicadon. "That just might make this easier on you."

Aqune looked at him in puzzlement.

"I'm going to eliminate Buguese and take his place," Cicadon replied. "And as for you Aqune, you are going to be mine."

"What?" Aqune questioned, staring at him.

"Go ahead, try and stop me," said Cicadon.

"If I have to I will, but I don't even understand you," said Aqune. "You want to get rid of Buguese because you're in love with me?"

"That's only half the reason I want to get rid of him," Cicadon corrected. "I have a personal vendetta against Buguese. And come to think of it, I wouldn't call my feelings for you 'love' either. Perhaps addiction, lust… but love is too powerful a word."

"I… will stop you," said Aqune. "I'm a Spider Rider."

"You can't," said the soldier, who had also entered the room. "Don't you know that Cicadon-sama has an advantage over you? Even with your power, you won't escape him."

"It's as my companion put it," said Cicadon. "Although, I feel I should give you a choice first. You can attempt to fight me… and fail miserably, or you can go to my side willingly."

"Well that's not much of a choice," the soldier pointed out.

Aqune backed away, worriedly. Where was Buguese, she thought to herself. And then, Why was she suddenly hoping Buguese would show up and save her?

"So you said you'd try and stop us," the soldier continued taunting. "Go for it!"

"I… right," said Aqune. "Oracle's might!" she then transformed. "Spider Rider!" she declared.

"And what next? Are you going to use you oh-so-amazing abilities on us?" declared the soldier.

"I think you should stop picking on her," suggested Cicadon. "You may not like humans, but she _is_ my girl. Or rather, she will be very soon. I guess it's time to try this out."

Cicadon unveiled the vial.

"What's that?" asked Aqune.

"You'll see," replied Cicadon. "It's my first gift to you. I'm sure you'll like the second one better though, whatever that may be." He then pulled off the stopper to the bottle. From out of it a cloud of dust emerged, which surrounded Aqune and then subsided into the air. He shut it up again soon after.

"What… was that?!" Aqune struggled to say. The immediate effect was that she was reverted back into her normal state. But Aqune also felt weakened. "I… can't move," she thought to herself. "B-Buguese… where are you?"

"You're the most essential part of the scheme, Aqune," said Cicadon. "Now that I've subdued your power, I hope that you realize how serious I am about this. However, I will give you one last chance to surrender and join me willingly in my plans. If not, then I will have no choice but to sieze you myself."

"N-no… I won't!" Aqune replied.

"Oh well then," he said. He punched the weakened Aqune in the stomach, knocking her out.

"Great job, commander!" said the soldier. "Promotions, here we come."

"Yes," said Cicadon. "Soon they will. But first, we have to wait for Beerain to play her part. Also, we have to make sure we're ready for the fight against Buguese. My biggest enemy will finally fall."

"Oh, I know all of that," said the soldier. "So, I guess we should take the human now, before anyone else finds out about this."

"That is correct," said Cicadon. "I'll handle that though, since she is mine now." He picked up Aqune and left, satisfied by his new proximity to victory.


	4. Buguese's Resolve

Buguese had been busy speaking with Mantid and checking upon status of various people and things. Apparently, Stags still had not reached Nuuma. Grasshop had formed a new plan to steal the Spider Rider's Oracle Key, which both Buguese and Mantid had severe doubts would be successful. But, it would at least humor Mantid, so that was why he approved it.

Now that all was taken care of, it was time to find Aqune again. As much as Buguese wished for Aqune to be obedient and get to work as she was told, he didn't expect it, so the first place he looked for her was the cliff where they spoke earlier. She wasn't there though.

"Perhaps some of what I said to Aqune sunk in," Buguese stated. "She might be back chanting to the Oracle. Doing so does seem a bit meaningless, but eventually that will be a key in saving us." Regardless, when Buguese arrived there, Aqune was nowhere to be found. All that he did see was Beerain.

"Looking for someone?" Beerain questioned teasingly.

"Yes Beerain," said Buguese. "Have you seen Aqune anywhere? She seems to have disappeared."

"Aww… you can't take your eyes off of her for even a few minutes," Beerain continued, cringing to herself.

"I just need to know where she is," replied Buguese. "As my subordinate, she's my responsibility."

"I think I have the answer," said Beerain, amused. "A certain commander had a personal interest in our precious human. I overheard Cicadon speaking with one of his soldiers and I suspect that he might know where Aqune is."

"What kind of 'interest'?!" Buguese shouted back. "And where can I find that worthless imbecile?"

"That's a bit harsh," replied Beerain. "I think his interest in her is sort of cute. You're not jealous, are you?"

"Aqune wouldn't just go with him on her own free will. I can barely control her," Buguese responded.

"That's true," said Beerain, pretending to sound perplexed by the situation. "What if she's been kidnapped?"

"If Cicadon has done anything to Aqune, he will not live to tell about it," Buguese declared.

"I suspect there will be some casualties then," Beerain answered. "I'd wish you luck in disfiguring Cicadon and his friend, but I don't think you'll even need it. He thinks he's superior to you, but I know better. There's nobody greater than you, Buguese."

"You're right," said Buguese. "But you're certainly respectable as well, Beerain. Thank you for your help."

"Um… you're welcome," said Beerain, satisfied to get a compliment from him out of that. Maybe her plan was working better than she thought.

Buguese left immediately. He found a messenger bug chirping contently nearby and grabbed it.

"I need you to help me find Commander Cicadon," ordered Buguese. "And Aqune."

"Pipipipi," the bug ankowledged. He whizzed away and soon enough returned to Buguese, chirping out a reply.

"Good," said Buguese. "Now leave me at once!"

He borded his flying platform to navigate the fortress more quickly. "Enjoy your victory while you can, Cicadon," Buguese commented to himself. "Because when I find you, you will most certainly regret everything you've done."

Cicadon and his ally, at the time, were with Aqune in a small room within the fortress. Eventually, Aqune regained consciousness. She had an idea as to what happened, but was still unsure as to just what the potion Cicadon released did to her powers. She tried to sit up, but had a great deal of difficulty doing so.

"It seems that thing hasn't fully worn off yet," commented Cicadon. "I'm impressed that it worked so nicely, actually. Maybe the one who gave it to me isn't so bad."

"Who gave it to you… and just what did it do?" Aqune wondered.

"I don't think that person would like it if I gave away the details," said Cicadon. "Let's just say that this is mine and forget about it. What matters is that you've become powerless thanks to it, I have you now and there's nothing anyone can do about it."

"What about Buguese?" asked the soldier.

"Oh yes, there is him," said Cicadon. "I suppose he'll probably show up. In fact, I was hoping he would. But when he does, I'll defeat him as I planned to from the start. Then you will truly be all for myself."

He approached Aqune's paralyzed body and bent over, kissing her cheek.

"No," said Aqune.

"Oh well, it's already been done," Cicadon stated. "But you know, it would be nice if you warmed up to me a little, considering you're going to be mine pretty soon."

Aqune moved her eyes toward her wrist. "Portia," she thought to herself. However, she did not have her manacle.

"We had to take that from you," added Cicadon, realizing what Aqune was trying to do. "No hard feelings, but then you could fight back."

"Look!" yelled the soldier is surprise. A shadow loomed behind him.

"Then how about you fight me, Commander Cicadon?" came a voice.


	5. The Magic's Repercussions

"Buguese…" said Aqune. She tried to sound happy about seeing him, because she was, but she barely had the energy to say that much.

"There you are, Aqune," stated Buguese. "Just what did this fool do to you?"

"He used some kind of… magic vial…" Aqune began. "Whatever was inside it… made it so I can't use my… power and… paralyzed my body."

"When will it wear off?" questioned Buguese, though his statement this time was directed toward Cicadon.

"Not sure," Cicadon replied. "This was the first time I tried it and I'm pleased it worked so well! But anyway, let's not dwell on the little things like that. I'm sure my girl will recover eventually. But for now, she'll be distracted from the pain, as she'll be enjoying the show of the century; the defeat of her mentor at the hands of his successor… myself. I anticipated you arrival anxiously."

"So you're still trying to get on the Big Four?" Buguese questioned, a bit amused by that statement. "You really are as foolish as I remembered. I was going to mutilate you in a slow and painful death, but I think you're simply too pitiable to receive such a treatment. I'll speed it up a little."

"You can't stop me," said Cicadon. "I've waited too long for this and I will not lose to you, especially in front of my girl."

"Aqune belongs to me!" yelled Buguese, holding his sword in front of his face threateningly.

"See, it's that arrogance that makes me hate you so," Cicadon responded.

"Our disputes give you no reason to take claim of and kidnap Aqune," Buguese replied, trying to keep himself calm. "Now, it disgusts me to even see your face, so I'd rather not chat idly with you anymore. That being said…" He then swung his sword at Cicadon.

Cicadon darted out of the way. He would not allow himself to be defeated in one blow.

"Impressive," said Buguese. "But as expected, you have still proven to be foolish."

"Why does dodging your blow make me a fool?" asked Cicadon cockily.

"Because you evaded yourself right into a corner," said Buguese. "And now you can not escape!" Buguese dealt Cicadon another blow, striking him on the shoulder. Cicadon fell to his knees and clutched his wound in pain.

"Now, again!" Buguese yelled. His blade clashed with Cicadon's body.

"I… must… win…" Cicadon said, forcing himself up from the ground.

"You still wish to face me?" Buguese asked in a mix of surprise and contempt. "Well then, you will suffer the consequences!" He lifted his sword above his head, preparing to deal one last powerful blow.

"Wait!" called Aqune, somewhat listlessly. "Don't… kill him."

"But why?!" Buguese yelled back.

"Because… even if he's my enemy… I don't think anyone really deserves to die." Aqune replied.

"If you insist on holding onto such philosophies I can't stop you," replied Buguese. "But for a warrior, that kind of code is clearly unfitting. Then again, Cicadon is a disgrace to warriors, so if I did kill him, it would probably be doing him a favor." Buguese glared at Cicadon hatefully. "You were fortunate," he stated. He then fired a blast of energy out of his blade, injuring Cicadon further.

"Gah! Cicadon-sama," the soldier yelled.

"I was trying to ignore you entirely," Buguese said to him as he walked up to Aqune. "We're going to leave now," Buguese said. "Are you able to move?"

"No," said Aqune, her voice softer than usual.

"Very well then," said Buguese. He bent over to pick Aqune up.

"Bug…uese, thank… you," said Aqune.

"Aqune, I can't help but notice," Buguese began. "You seem even weaker than you were before. How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Aqune replied. "Wait… my manacle," she added.

"Right," said Buguese, going over to grab it. "Oh, and Cicadon, if you ever so much as think about going near Aqune again then I will show you no more mercy."

Buguese then focused his gaze on Aqune again. Aqune was getting paler and so Buguese was becoming even more concerned. Regardless, he headed back with her in his arms and for a lack of better ideas, bought her to his room. He watched Aqune attempt to lift her head. However, she failed in this and it swung back down. She shut her eyes as well.

"Aqune!" yelled Buguese in concern. However, she didn't respond. Buguese, in frustration, placed her down on his bed. "There is definitely something very wrong with you and I intend to rectify it in any way possible!"

He was very pained to see Aqune in this state. Maybe it was a good thing that he spared Cicadon's life though, he thought. Cicadon would have some serious explaining to do.


	6. Still a Light

"My Aqune…" said Buguese. Clenching his fists, he left the room and her. He would be back soon though, he thought to himself.

Buguese stormed through the fortress, all the way back to where he had last left Cicadon. The commander was still there, as he anticipated.

"Hello Cicadon," said Buguese.

"You're back to do more?!" The frightened soldier asked.

"I don't have to make this painful just yet," Buguese replied. "I'd just like to have a little talk with your commander. You may contribute to this discussion if you have anything worth saying… which I doubt."

"Yes sir," said the soldier in fear.

"Now that the formalities are over, let's begin!" declared Buguese, grabbing Cicadon. "I need every detail you can give me about what that magic potion can do."

"I already told you," began Cicadon. "I never tried it before. I don't exactly know. All I knew is that it would subdue her power and make her easier to catch. I figured it would've worn off by now."

"Well it hasn't!" Buguese snapped. He lifted Cicadon off the ground, throwing him at the wall.

"Wah… hey! No hard feelings," said Cicadon.

"I have every right to be harsher on you," Buguese responded. "You're even more of an imbecile than I thought previously. Do you realize how important Aqune is to the Insector cause? Without her, we have no chance of obtaining salvation. Yet you seem to think that she's some kind of toy."

"Hey… you know," began Cicadon. "If you want you can take the vial." He tossed the empty glass container to Buguese. "Ask around. Maybe someone can figure out just what kind of potion it was from any residue. Maybe someone like Beerain."

"Yes… there is Beerain," said Buguese. "Maybe she would be of help. But if not, then I finish what I've started with you." He gave Cicadon a final death glare before leaving, the vial clutched tightly in his hand.

Buguese's first order of business was to check on Aqune. He placed his hand on the human's face. She still felt alive, but yet, she looked so frail.

"No!" Buguese yelled. "Aqune, wake up! You're vital to us… and to me." Bitterly, he turned to leave her. "You will not die!" he declared. Not wanting to waste anymore time, he headed out to find Beerain. Soon enough, he was successful in this.

"Buguese, you seem concerned," stated Beerain. "Did you get Aqune back yet?"

"Of course I did," replied Buguese. "Now tell me, what do you think is inside of this?"

"Where did you get that?" asked Beerain, noticing the vial in his hand.

"From Cicadon," he responded. "He said that you might be able to figure out what was inside of it. Knowing you, I suspect that might be within your knowledge."

"Why do you want to know this?" Beerain questioned.

"Because whatever was in it is killing Aqune," said Buguese.

"Oh," said Beerain, not really sounding like she cared. She did care though; she was quite pleased. "Let me study it for a minute." Buguese handed it over to her. "I'm pretty certain I know just what it is from it's smell. Bee's intuition. It involved a sort of pollen, which has a very dangerous effect on humans. Insectors are immune to it though. There's no cure to its effects to my knowledge, so I guess your human's just going to die. Looks as if Cicadon didn't do the proper research."

Buguese was furious.

"Leave me now, Beerain!" he yelled, swinging his arm out in fury.

"I just helped you out," Beerain pointed out. Rather than answering her, Buguese ran off immediately. Beerain still got her wish though, so she wasn't bothered too much.

Buguese, of course, returned to Aqune. He was still tremendously angry, but after seeing her again, he was depressed as well.

"So, my dear," said Buguese. "I never wanted this to happen, but I suppose I can't change what has been done. You are going to die soon. I doubt you can even hear me, but I wanted to let you know. I keep too much from you." He picked Aqune up again and exited the room. "Let's go back to the cliff you said you liked." Buguese could feel his body shaking intensely as he carried Aqune toward that place. He looked only ahead though, refusing to catch a glimpse of her face again. If he did, he wasn't certain as to what might result of that. He was not the type of being to break down over anything and he would not make any exceptions.

Beerain spotted the two of them on the cliff. She had decided to continue spying on Buguese, wanting to see this through to the end. Any pain it bought her now would all be made up for in the end, when she was rid of Aqune.

"Aqune," began Buguese. He had placed her down, but was still holding up her limp body. "For an Insector, fate is always cruel. We were born into despair and will probably die in despair. But for humans, there is always a light and there is always hope. I suppose your fate is different, because you have lived most of your life as one of us. I always thought that someday, you would save us and we could both find happiness. I was wrong."

Because he could resist it no longer, Buguese looked down at her. This time, he was the one to shed a single tear. The difference was, there was nobody there to wipe it away from him.

"Aqune, I want you to open your eyes again, so I can look into them one last time. It's more than that though. As I said, I've kept so much from you. There's so much more I wanted you to know." It was then when he kissed her. With it, all of his unspoken passion was released.

Buguese then noticed Aqune's hand move. She slowly opened her eyes.

"What?!" Aqune questioned. "Buguese?"

"How?!" asked Buguese in shock. "How are you alive?"

"I'm not sure," said Aqune. "Just what happened?"

"I suppose we'll both have to wonder," said Buguese. He then pulled Aqune closer to him and held her.

"I understand perfectly, Buguese," said Beerain, frustrated. "When you kissed that girl, it seems that some of you DNA was transferred into her bloodstream. Because of that, she was able to fight off the potion's effects entirely. Although, I suspect that her powers played a role too, Otherwise, she would've died much sooner."

"My Aqune," Buguese thought to himself. "It looks like everything's going to be okay now. Of course, there's still the question of what you decide to do. I have faith though that whatever happens, someday you will be able to save us and then, the two of us can be together."


End file.
